Building construction



' 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. F. BEMIS BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 19. 19:1

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Nov. 13, 1934. A. F. BEMIS 1,980,900

BUILDING- CONSTRUCTION j Filed Feb. 19. 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 a "54v 935.2 j

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A. F. BEMIS ,980,990 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 19, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 13, 1934. A. F. BEMIS 1,980,900

iauILDING CONSTRUGTION Filed Feb. 19. 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 I; a K

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Nov. 13, 1934. A. F. BEMIS BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 19. 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 jwewziar w mmmgfigf i ,Nov. 13, 1934. A BE 1,980,900

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 19, 1931 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 &

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I I 77 ZZ ZZZMM Patented Nov. 13, 1934 g D V UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Albert F. Bemis, Newton, Mass, assignor to Bemis Industries, Incorporated, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware' Application February 19, 1931, Serial No. 516,894

22 Claims. (Cl. 72-16) This invention relates to an improved form of or members supported thereby, and complemenbuilding construction, and more particularly to tary parts upon'the wall panels themselves. Prefa novel arrangement of members for defining erably these complementary parts upon the wall a wall surface, and cooperating attaching means panels are concealed so thatthe wall may have and adjuncts. l -a continuous unbroken surface ,and connecting 0 The broad aspects of this invention contemelements are so arranged'that panels may be plate the use of preformed members, defining a fastened in place by-a simple movement of a substantially planarsurface, in conjunction with panel itself. separable interlocking fastening elements com- -The present invention is particularly adapted l0 prising complementary parts associated with the to employment in buildings having standardized structural frame members and the preformed wall dimensions which may vary according to wall members, respectively, whereby the wall a predetermined module, such, for example, as members may be readily and accurately secured the arrangements disclosed in my copending apto the frame to define either an exterior or an plications, Serial No. 280,226, filed May 24, 1928, 15 interiorwall surface. and Serial No. 414,056 filed December 14, 1929.

The more specific embodiments of this inven- Buildings which are thus constructed with their tion are particularly distinguished by the prowall dimensions difl'ering only in accordance with vision of panels and/or units having substana predetermined module or a multiple of the same tially plane outer faces which are aligned with are accordingly'adapted to receive finish elements 20 similar faces of adjoining units eithervto define which may have definite predetermined dimenthe wall surface, for example to form the finish sions and may be readily applied without cutof an exterior or interior wall, a-ceiling or wall ting. In order to permit rapid assembly of the of a building, or to form va suitable backing for elements and to avoid cutting and painstaking the application of an outerfinish such as stucco, fitting at the comers, I preferably provide'special "-5 plaster, clapboards used on the exterior of buildcorner units adapted to cooperate with the wall 30 ings, or wall board, craftex, tile, paper, veneerpanels in defining the wall surfaces, for example, ing, etc., used as interior finish. i both at the vertical and upper horizontal cor- Heretofore it has been conventional to.provide ners of rooms. lathingattached to studs, joists, and the like In accordance with one aspect of this inven- 30 by suitable fastening means and .then to apply tion, yin pan ls ar pr vid d t n a marplaster to the lathing, orelse to employ wall ginal Portions 0 adjoining P the keying boards formed of plaster, composition, fibrous pan ls b p v d d w p al m ans f r atmaterial and the like, andto secure the wall hm n to h pp r in frame lem nts. boards to the supporting grounds by, fastenin Preferably the main panels may have rabbeted as means such as nails. These methods of providd s at th ir marg ns, the ra t d d s of ing interior finish have involved'the fitting and J in pan s cooperating to provide a ro ve cutting'of numerous separate elements such as in Which a y P nel S ec ived. In addition lathing members, wall boards, and the like, and t0 the frame members to which the panels e the securing of these members or boards in place connected, it is desirable to provide suitable aux- 40 by means of individual fastening elements such ilia y pp r n ments for connection to the asnails. Thus the application r wall finish to the t nin m ans c r y h p and a partitions and ceilings of rooms has involved conrther aspect of this invention relates to the siderable expense due to the necessary expendiarrangement "0 Silch auxiliary pp t 818- tim of ti u on th part of th workmen and ments and their connections with the main metal 4 the necessity for care in fitting and fastening frame nta'su h as'fl ri ists' elements in place, Specific embodiments, chosen for the purpose In contrast to these expensive and laborious illustration, aI'B'ShOWB in thehccompimying methods of applying wall finish, the present invdrawings,-Wherein: vention afi'ords an arrangement permitting the Fig. 1 is a perspective view. 0! a Portion of 50 direct application of pre-manufactured andprea well p d :with a pa l a ra nt n. a

cut wall elements to the supporting grounds or" fil i h Present t o 5 frame members and their attachment thereto byg. 2 is a detail of a beam clip blank which the employment'of in'terfitting or hooked conmay be employed for securing an auxiliary frame nections which may have parts associated with element or ground member to an adjo ni P 55 the supporting elements, such as studs orjoists tion of the. structural wall;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the blank of Fig. 2 is formed into 8 D;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of an arrangement 5 such as shownin Fig. 3, also showing the manmer in which wall panels are connected thereto;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of one type of a keying strip or panel such as shown in Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 ofFig. 5;. Fig. 7 is a detail view of one type of. fastening screw employed in conJunction with the arrange-'- ment illustrated in Fig. 4; I

Hg. 8 is a perspective view of an arrangement somewhat similar to that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, but showing an optional form of connect- I key strip 10 is'also formed of plaster board pro-' "vided with face sheets 11 and 12. A'backing strip 15 of suitable form-retaining material such as ing means;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the keying strip orpanelsh'owninFigJy Fig. 10 is a vertical section ofa comer at the intersection of a vertical and a horizontalwall;

.Fig; 11 is a horizontal section of a comer at. th intersection of the vertical walls;- y

rangement where three walls intersect before assembling the corner unit therewith;

therewith;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view ofacornerhrrange- 'ment providing ai'chase between-a vertical and a horizontal wall; .1

' invention.

Fig. 151:; a similar vieWIshQWg the arrange ment employed inconjunction-with two vertical walls;

Fig." 16 is a rearryiewfl fof a portion of a key 6 taken on line .1a--1a' a. Figs..19, 20, and 21 are views similar is 16, 17, and 18, respectively,' illustrating another.

modified form of fastening means.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a typical wall arrangement which may be employed according to this- The main wall panels 1 comprise inner and outer slabs vor'lamina: 2; and Barespectively; each inner lamina '2 has a greater width than the corresponding outerlamina 3 I by a suitable adhesive such as an animal glue" disposed between their adjoiningdace sheets;

' and extends beyond the latter atboth edges, thus providing rabbets at opposite edges of each panel 1. Obviously the panels may be formed of many suitable materials, but I prefer plaster board formed of a plastic composition,. such as gypsum, and provided with face sheetsof fibrous material such as paper.

Preferably each lamina of fibrousmateriai upon Opposite sides thereof and firmly secured thereto by the crystalline penetrative bonding engagement with its fibrous surface. The laminae are secured to each other and dried under suitable pressure. Thus each of the panel. layers may .also be provided with coverings of paper. v

In their normal assembled relation the panels .1 are disposed with their rabbeted edges juxings and recesses. 1y be inthe form of keyhole slots and the support- Fig. 13 is a similar view of thesame corner arrangement after assembling the corner unit '2 3 comprises a. separate piece of plaster board with face sheets 1,9so,eoo

'sively secured to each other. The face sheet 8 of the lamina 2 extends beyond the edge of the narrower lamina 3 to the edge of the board and thus finishes and protects the rabbeted portion If desired, the edges of the plaster taposed, thus cooperating to provide a groove at each side of each panel. Preferably intervening key panels 10 are shaped to fit within these grooves, and have connecting means for engagement'with complementary means upon the supporting elements ,orgrounds. For example, referring-to Figs.'4 and 5, it-may be seen that the wood or metalis adhesively-secured to the inner face sheet 12' of the panel 10. Suitable recesses 14 in the plaster board register with a plurality of e p p I openings 16 in strips 15, there preferably being Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a corner ar two longitudinally disposed rows of these open- Openings 16 may convenienting elements orgrounds 23 may be provided with connecting means 25, such as screws. Preferably these screws have their threaded portions dis-# 1 posed substantially within the frame members 23 and have their (shanks projecting therefrom 'throughopenings 2'? which are formed in the ,'margina1i portions of the inner lamina 2 of the .panels 1 during the manufacture of the latter.

- Preferably, as shown in Fig. 7, the screws 25 have integral annular flange portions 26 spaced from their heads 28. The screws 25 may bear:-

plied'to the supporting members 23 and threaded into place until the annular portions 26 engage the surfaces of the, marginal portions of the main plied to conceal the screws and to provide a continuous finished surface. For this purpose the enlarged portions 16 of the keyhole slots receive the heads of the screws and the strip 10 is then moved longitudinally so that the shanks-of the screws are received in the narrower portions 17 of the slots, the heads'of the screws engaging the inner surface of the strip 15. It is evident that this arrangement permits the face sheets upon the outer surfaces of the panels 10 and 1 to be in the same plane so that a substantially continuous surface is defined, which may be employed as the actual finish of the wall or which may receive any suitable decorative treatment. When employing the form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 4, it is desirable to have wooden grounds to permit ready application of the screws 25. Accordingly,'Figs. 2, 3, and 4 illustrate 'an arrangement which may be employed for securing wooden grounds to metal frame members 30 which may, for example, be metal I-beams or I joists. Fig. 2 discloses a metal beam clip blank '31 which maybe formed of two strips of sheet' panels 1. Then the panels 11 may be quickly apfor connecting the panels 1 to supporting elements of the frame structure such as the members 23. In this form of the invention the keying strip 10' may be similar to the strip 10 but may be provided with a single row of recesses 16 and with a corresponding row of keyhole slots 17', the keying strip itself and the retaining strip secured thereto being of the same general character as previously described. With this form of the invention, screws 50 may extend between the edges of the panels 1 and may have head portions 51 adapted to engage the keyhole slots 17, the panels 1 being pressed upwardly as the key- 7 hole slots are thus engaged with the screw heads and the latter being depended upon to support both the panels-l and the panels 10'. Thus in this form of the invention the special type of screw illustrated in Fig. 7 may be dispensed with if desired.

While Figs. 4 and 8 particularly illustrate my panel arrangement as applied to ceilings, the same may be readily employed for vertical walls or partitions and may be connected to the wall elements or studs in the same general manner as described with reference to Figs. 4 and 8.

The arrangements shown in Figs. 16 to 21, inclusive, dispense with the use of the fastening elements 25 by providing interlocking fastening means integral with the key panel. The structure of the key panel is generally similar to the one previously described and shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and comprises a lamina 10 preferably of plaster board provided with fibrous face sheets 11 and 12. A metal backing strip l5 having struck out tabs or tongues is adhesively secured to the inner face sheet 12. The tongues 21 may be bent outwardly and downwardly to provide hooked portions, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, or as shown in Figs. 19 to 21, the tongues 21 having a depending portion may simply be bent outwardly to provide hooked connections. In both embodiments the frame members 23 are provided with openings 22 which receive the tongues of the backing strips and thus provide an interlocking fastening means which permits the wall panels 1 to be assembled with the frame elements in the same manner as previously described. In the embodiment shown in Figs. 16 to 18, it is preferable to provide the rabbeted end portions of lamina 2 with openings forthe reception of the shank portions of the tongues, and in the embodiment shown in Figs. 19 to 21, recesses or notches in the lamina serve the same purpose. It is obvious that these key panels may be quickly and securely assembled with the panel and frame members merely by inserting them in the grooves so that the, cooperating interlock-'- ing elements engage, and by a slight longitudinal movement the same are firmly and securely locked in place.

At the corners or intersections of either horizontal walls or vertical and horizontal walls, I provide special preformed corner members orv panels which are adapted readily to fit into place and to beconnected to the adjoining structure. Fig. 10 shows such an arrangement at the intersection of a horizontal wall orfioor and a vertical wall. An angularsheetmetal member.

may be provided to deflne this corner, having an offset marginal flange 61 to extend over the adjoining edge of a key strip 10 in the ceiling,

which is disposed beneath supporting element 23 and the opposite edge of which'engages the panel 1 at the end of the ceiling assembly. A filler strip of plaster board may be disposed above flange 61. It is evident, as shown in Figs. 10 and 12, that the surface of the panel 80 thus may provide a substantial continuation of the outer surfaces of panels 1 and 10. The depending vertical-portion 63 of the member 60'may fit against the adjoiningsurface of the wall so that there is no substantial break in the continuity of the wall surface, it being understood that. the member 60 is formed of comparatively thin gauge metal. If desired screw-fastenings 64 may secure the depending portion 63 of member 60 to the vertical wall; I

Fig. 11 shows the arrangement at the intersection of vertical walls or partitions, a metal corner member or panel '70 being arranged to define the corner surfaces in alignment with the main surfaces. of the wall and having offset portions 71 disposed behind, adjoining edges of the key strips 10 at the ends of, the panel assemblies upon the intersecting walls. The opposite edges of these key strips engage the outstanding marginal portions of the end panels 1, as shown, and small filler strips 73 of plaster board may be disposed betw'een'the offset portions 71 and the grounds '75 which may form a part of any suitable wall structure. 1

Fig. 12 shows theunfinishedcomer construction at the junction of the ceiling and vertical walls, the corner members or units 60 and defining, respectively, the intersection betweenthe ceiling and walls and the intersection between the vertical walls, previously described in connection with Figs. 10 andll. Fig. 13 shows the finished corner structurev formed by assembling the corner member therewith. This member is preferably of sheet metal having faces in three planes defined by the walls and ceiling, and having the marginal portions of its faces overlapping the adjacent portion of the comer members and wall panels. Suitable retaining screws 81 may be employed to secure this comer piece in place.

the wall and ceiling panels are,'in general, the

same 'as previously described in connectionwith the preformed cornermember shown in Fig. 10.

15 shows a similar arrangement at'the intersection of the vertical walls or partitions. The member defining the vertical'cornice chase has flanges 101 interposed between and retained by the key strips and projecting ends of the wall panels. Themanner of assembly with the adiacent wall panels is similar to that described in connection with the corner member shown in Fig. 11.

Fromthe foregoing it is evident thatI have provided an improved arrangement of wall panels Fig. 14 shows an arrangement providing a cornice chase at the intersection of the ceiling and fastening means therefor which particularly permit the employment of preformed panels without necessity for cutting in situ and which permit the facile attachment of the panels to the supporting grounds and their ready assembly inspection of electrical conduits.

While I have shown and described certain em-" bodiments of this invention, I wish it to be understobd that various modifications and changes in shape, proportion, and arrangements of parts,

as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those herein disclosed, can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A building construction comprising frame members, panel members defining the face of a wall, the end portions of each of said panel members being rabbeted to provide grooves on'the "outer'face of the wall portion, key panels disposed in said grooves, and interlocking fastening means detachably securing said panelmembers and key panels in assembled relation to the frame members, said means being shaped to provide hook like connections disposed so that the panels may be; detached from the wall by sliding the key panels longitudinally in their grooves.

2. A building'construction comprising frame members, panel members defining the face of a wall, alternate panel members having marginal portions overlapping those of the intervening panel members. the latter portions having openings, and means associated with the alternate panel members and frame members securing said panel members in assembled relation with the frame members, said means comprising separable interlocking elements having portions passingth'roush said openings in the intervening panel members.

3. A building construction comprising frame members in intersecting walls, panel members dethe faces of a wall and ceiling, the end portions of the ceiling panels adjacent to the intersection of the planes of the wall and ceiling :being rabbeted, a comer panel having faces in the plane of the wall and the plane of the ceiling, said corner panel having an offset end portion disposed in overlapping engagement with the rab- "beted portions of the ceiling panels and defining therewith a groove, the opposite end portion being disposed contiguous to the end portions of the'wall panels, fastening elements securing said ceiling panels and corner panel to the frame members, and a key panel disposed in said jgroove, 'said key panel having interlocking means cooperating with said fastening elements and securing the key panel in assembled relation with the ceiling panels and corner panel.

a. A building construction comprising frame members in intersecting walls, panel members defining the faces of the walls, the end portions of said panelsadjacent to the intersecting planes of the walls being rabbeted, a corner panel having faces in the plane of the walls, said corner panel having ofi'set end portions disposed in overlapping engagement with the rabbeted portion of the panel members and defining therewith grooves, fastening elements. securing said panel members and corner panel ,totheflframe members, and keypanels disposed in said grooves,

corner panels defining the junction between each wall and ceiling andthe intersecting walls, and

a corner unit having faces in the planes of the walls and'ceiling, the marginal portions of said corner unit being disposed contiguous to the adjacent marginal portions of the corner panels and defining therewith substantially planar surfaces.

6. A building construction comprising frame members, panel members defining intersecting walls, said panel members having rabbeted end portions, a cornice chase member having an integral flange engaging said rabbeted end portions and defining therewith a groove, and a filler panel disposed in said groove.

7.-A corner assembly comprising frame members, panel members defining intersecting walls,

said panel membershaving rabbeted end portions, a cornice chase member having integral flanges engaging said rabbeted end'portions and defining therewith a groove, fastening elements securing the panel members and cornice chase to member, a panel member having asurface to define the plane of a wall, and fastening means securing the panel member to the frame member, said means being in the form of pairs of complementary interlocking portions shaped to afford a hook-like engagement so that the panel member may be detached from the frame member by a sliding movement of the panel member.

9. A building construction comprising wall structure, a panel member mounted on the wall structure, and fastening means securing the member to said structure, said means comprising pairsof interfitting elements, one element of each "pair affording a projection with an enlar d end and the cooperating element affording a slot to receive the enlarged end of the projection in engagement with an edge of the slot.

10(A building construction comprising a wall structure, panel members mounted on the wall structure and having margins overlapping the margins 'of intervening panel members, fastening means securing the first-named panel members to the wall structure, said means being in the form of complementary interlocking elements shaped to'afford a hooklike engagement and being capable of manual separation by a simple manual movement of the corresponding panel substantially in its own plane, whereby the intervening panels may be released from the wall structure.

11. A building construction comprising a, wall structure, panel members mounted on the wall structure,"f'astening means securing the panel members to the wall structure and including complementary fastening elements constructed and arranged so that the panels may be separatedill) from the wall structure by a longitudinal sliding movement, the panels being arranged so that there is a clearance at their ends to permit such a movement, and a finish strip extending along the ends of the panels to conceal the clearance space.

12. A building construction comprising a wall structure, panel members mounted on the wall structure, fastening means securing the panel members to the wall structure and including complementary fastening elements constructed and arranged so that the panels may be separated from the wall structure by a longitudinal sliding movement, the panels being arranged so that there is a clearance at their ends to permit such a movement, and a finish strip extending along the ends of the panels to conceal the clearance space, said finish strip being secured to the ends of the panels to hold them in relative alignment against endwise movement until the finish strip is detached from the panels.

13; A building construction comprising a wall structure, a plurality of panels mounted on the wall structure and quick detachable fastening means securing the panels to the wall structure, said means including a plurality of pairs of complementary elements, one element of each pair being arranged to provide an opening with a slot-like continuation and the other element providing a projecting portion with an enlargement received in the opening and slidable into engagement with the slot-like continuation, whereby the panels may be disengaged from the 'wall structure by sliding movements of the panels to effect the relative positioning of the elements so that the enlargements of said projecting portions may be removed through the openings. 14. A building construction comprising a wall structure, a plurality of panels mounted on the wall structure, and fastening means securing the panels to the wall structure, said fastening means comprising pairs of complementary elements in the panels and wall structure, one element of each pair affording an opening, the complementary element of the pair providing a projection with a hook-like end portion to engage the edge of the opening, the panels being slidable relative to the wall structure to effect the relative disengagement of the hook-like end portions of said projections and said openings, whereby the panels may be separated from said structure.

15. A building construction comprising a wall structure, a plurality of panels detachably mounted on the wall structure, fastening means securing the panels to the wall structure and including a plurality of pairs of complementary fastening elements, one element of each pair being in the form of a plate secured to the panel and providing an opening, the complementary element of the pair being in the form of a screw fastener threaded into the wall structure, said screw fastener having a head portion and an integral part spaced from the head'portion acting as a stop limiting the movement of the fastening element when it is screwed into the wall structure, whereby the head portion provides an enlarged protuberantpart adapted to have a hooklike engagement with the opening in said plate.

margins of said intervening panels cooperating to define a groove, 9. key. panel beingrdisposed in each of the grooves and comprising a layer of material substantially coplanar with the outer layer of material in the intervening panels and formed of two layers of material having their margins offset to afiord rabbets at the margins of said intervening panels, the .adjoiningvrabbeted margins of said intervening panels cooperating :to definea groove, a key panel being disposed in each of said grooves and comprising a layer of material substantially coplanar with the outerlayers of material in the intervening panels and quick de-. tachable fastening means associated with the key panels-to secure all of the panels in place, said fastening means including screws screwed into the wall structure through the openings in the rabbeted end portions of the intervening panels, said screws having integral stop portions spaced from their heads and engaging the outer surface of the inner layer of the intervening panels and having their heads disposed outwardly of said inner surface, the key panels being provided with recesses adapted to have a hook-like engagement with the heads of said screw elements, whereby each key'panel may be removed from the wall structure by a sliding movement in its own plane and whereby the intervening panels may be removed by unscrewing the screw elements from the wall structure.

18. A building construction comprising a wall structure, paneling mounted on the wall structure and including main panels formed of inner and outer layers of plaster board secured to each other to afford panels having rabbeted edges, the rabbeted ends of said main panels cooperating to provide grooves, key panels disposed-in said grooves and comprising a single layer of plaster board substantially in coplanar relationship with the outer layer of plaster board in the main panels, and fastening means associated with the 'key panels and the rabbeted ends of the main panels to secure the paneling to the wall structure, said fastening means being concealed by the key panels.

19. A building construction comprising a wall structure, paneling detachably mounted on the wall structure, said paneling including a plurality of intervening panels, said panels having rabbeted margins engaging key panels disposed between the intervening panels, said key panels having backing plates of metal with integral hook-like tongue portions, the wall structure being provided with means affording recesses to receive the hook-like portions of the backing plates whereby the key panels are held in place upon the wall structure and engage the rabbeted margins of the intervening panels to hold the latter against the wall structure, the panels beingremovable from the wall structure by a sliding movement of the key panels substantially in their own planes to disengage the hook-like tongues from the openings provided in the wall structure.

20. A building construction comprising wall structure disposed in intersecting planes, paneling mounted on the wall structure, said paneling including a plurality of main panels having rabl of the adjoining main panels in affording grooves, a key panel being mounted in each,-of said vening bated. edges and the key panels disposed in engagement with the rabbeted edges of the main .panels, fastening means associated with'the key panels and the. rabbeted edges of the main panels and concealed by the'form a corner element disposed adjoining the intersection of thewalls and providing surfaces substantially in the re-v spective planes of the main panels of the intersecting wallsand having-end portions providing recesses to cooperate with the rabbeted edges grooves. r

21. A building construction comprising a wall structure, a plurality of panels mounted on the wall structure and including key panels and interanels, the margins of the intervening panels ing rabbeted to provide grooves in which the keypanels are received, fastening means provided by the key panels and said structure shaped to permit detachment of each key panel by longitudinal sliding in its groove, and a detachable cover strip extending along the ends of the panels,

and concealing spaces into which the ends of the 0 key panels may move when they are thus slid in their grooves. 22. A building construction comprising a wall structure, a plurality of panels mounted on the ALBERT F. BEMIS. 

